Pictured above from L to R: Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Reeve Carney, and Kay Trinidad (Photo: Charles Sykes)
A man is walking alone, wondering out loud if he is worthy of the journey. He is leading his lover and the workers out of Hadestown, a stop along the journey to Hell for wayward souls.
That man is Orpheus and the musical is Hadestown, a show based on iconic characters from Greek mythology set in contemporary times. The show possesses many merits, including the poetic score by Anaiis Mitchell, simple yet surprising New Orleans meets the Dust Bowl set by Rachel Hauck, moving sculptural choreography by David Neumann, and soul-stirring performances by the cast. In addition to these artistic strengths, the musical also illustrates the power of negative thoughts on mood and behavior, concepts that are central to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
CBT is the gold standard treatment for the most common mental health disorders of anxiety and depression. This treatment modality is based on the concept of the “Cognitive Triangle”, which purports that there is an important relationship among thoughts, feelings and behaviors, such that thoughts lead to feelings and feelings lead to action. In therapy we would examine the beliefs that lead to a problematic behavior, such as isolation. If a person who has depression thinks, “Nobody loves me”, they would likely feel sad and therefore isolate, which further reinforces their belief that they are unloved. If we challenge that thought with a more accurate one, such as “I have some people who love me”, then the feelings and actions will follow in kind.
Hadestown personifies negative cognitions through the use of the character tryptic of The Fates. They harmonically serve as the inner monologue for various characters. The young lover, Orpheus, is taunted in “Wait For Me”, during which he decides to venture to Hadestown to find his love, Eurydice. The Fates, giving voice to his self-doubt, sing:
Who are you?
Where do you think you’re going?
Who are you?
Why are you all alone?
Who do you think you are?
Who are you to think that you can walk a road that no one ever walked before?
Near the end of story, Hades allows Orpheus to leave with Eurydice back above ground, as long as they walk separately and he does not look behind to reassure himself that she is still there. If he does turn around, she goes back to Hadestown without him forever. While on this exodus out of the underworld, he wonders:
Who am I?
Who am I against him?
Why would he let me win?
Why would he let her go?
Who am I to think that he wouldn’t deceive me just to make me leave alone?
If Orpheus had learned to challenge those negative beliefs, he could have saved himself from making his tragic mistake. In therapy, he would have been taught to identify the negative beliefs within these questions, (e.g. “Who am I against him?” into “I am no one against him.”), and then how to challenge those beliefs, (e.g. “I am as worthy as any other person.) By challenging those thoughts, he would have felt less anxious and perhaps would not have turned around.
There are lessons to be learned from the protagonist with the fatal flaw. Orpheus listens to his inner voice and allows his negative thoughts to go unchallenged. Don’t make that same mistake; talk back to your Fates.
If you are interested in learning more about how to challenge your automatic beliefs, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook is a great resource.
Best,
Dr. Drama